FRENCH RESPONSE ON NORTH KOREAN COUNTERFEITING

S E C R E T PARIS 003879

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NKWG
TREASURY FOR ZARATE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FOR HAYDEN
OSD/EAPR FOR SCOTT FEENEY
JCS FOR SLOAN
CIA FOR KATULIS
NSA FOR MINER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2015
TAGS: KCRM EFIN FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH RESPONSE ON NORTH KOREAN COUNTERFEITING
ACTIVITY

REF: SECSTATE 97058

Classified By: ECON KENNETH MERTEN, Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (S) SUMMARY: French authorities have no knowledge of North
Korean counterfeiting of other major currencies, including
the Euro. We underscored our concern about North Korean
counterfeiting activities, and French authorities said they
would be happy to share any information that might come their
way. END SUMMARY.


2. (S) Per reftel, we spoke with Philippe Menard, Police
Commissioner at the French Ministry of the Interior, about
DPRK counterfeiting activities, and requested information
related to seizures of counterfeit US currency or specific
criminal acts by North Koreans. Menard said he had no
knowledge of any such activities. Although France has a
relatively high rate of counterfeiting, this is because it is
a relatively larger economy than most of its European
neighbors. Most counterfeit bills come to the attention of
the police from banks or other third parties, so little
information is usually available about the print source.
That said, police have uncovered some criminal rings, but he
cited Bulgaria, Lithuania and Poland as being the primary
residences of the ring members. The only remotely relevant
incident he recalls involved South Koreans who were detected
in Lithuania printing counterfeits around June 2004, but in
his view the geographic nexus was with Lithuania, not Korea,
and certainly not North Kor
ea. He was well aware of the circulars concerning DPRK
counterfeiting of US dollars and of the "Supernotes." He
mentioned the good working relations he enjoys with the US
Secret Service, and promised to provide any relevant

SIPDIS
information that may come up in the future to them.


3. (S) We also spoke with officials at the Bank of France,
who professed to have no knowledge of any North Korean
criminal counterfeiting activity.


4. (S) Last, we spoke with Clea Le Cardeur, desk officer for
the DPRK at the MFA, who said to her knowledge France has had
no incidents of DPRK abuse of diplomatic privileges. France
does not maintain diplomatic relations with the DPRK, but the
DPRK does staff a Mission to UNESCO based in Paris. None of
those diplomats have been implicated in any criminal activity.


5. (S) The Paris-based office of the US Secret Service,
which has responsibility for 70 countries in the region, has
requested additional information from EUROPOL, and is
awaiting a reply.
WOLFF